In Love With A Vampire
by wwetickler30
Summary: Roman Reigns falls in love with the newest WWE Diva, unaware that she is hiding a very big secret. *reposting because of character name issues*
1. Tragedy And Triumph

**2000 YEARS AGO-ROMANIA**

 **Aneesa's POV**

I awoke with a start, as did my mate Damon. There was a sense of unease reverberating throughout the halls of our fortress of solitude. It was a place of sanctuary for all vampire covens away from the villagers who, as of late, had had enough of our kind killing innocent people from their villages. As we peacefully slumbered within its walls, an angry mob of villagers stormed the castle and silently made their way throughout the halls, picking off us vampires one by one.

Within seconds, the castle was in a state of chaos as the sound of screaming filled every nook and cranny. Damon and I quickly rushed to our childrens' room, only to be met with a horrifying scene. There was a pile of ash on the twins' bed where our son Marcus had once laid. Next to the pile of ash was a man holding our daughter Victoria by her long dark brown hair. In his other hand was a spike that had been laced with holy water.

"Say goodbye to mommy and daddy, you bloodsucking brat!" he shouted as he drove the spike into her heart, grinning as she disintegrated into a pile of ash, her screams echoing throughout the room.

We rushed forward, our fangs bared and ready to attack. Damon reached the man first and sank his fangs deep into his neck, draining him of blood. Within seconds, the man was dead. Our victory was short lived, however, as another man burst into the room, holy water laced spike in hand. Without warning, Damon threw himself in front of me, groaning in agony as the spike pierced his heart. I immediately sunk my teeth into the man's neck and drained him dry before turning to Damon.

"Go, Aneesa. You are our only hope of rebuilding our clan. Go now!" he managed to get out before turning to ash.

I ran back to our bedroom and grabbed a cloak for protection against the sun before leaping out of the window into the moat below. The icy water welcomed me as I landed within its depths. After swimming to shore, I took refuge in the Kirkbride Forest and found a cave in which to take shelter. As I drifted off to a restless sleep, I began to think: _what is to become of me now?_

 **PRESENT DAY-CHICAGO, ILLINOIS**

 **Roman's POV**

We (The Shield) had just scored another victory at the latest PPV and were headed to the men's locker room to shower when I first noticed her. She looked to be about 5'4" with dark brown hair and pale skin that reminded me of Sheamus' skin tone. She wore a blood red crop top with matching booty shorts and black wrestling boots with red trim. I nudged Seth with my elbow.

"Hey, man. Who's that?" I asked him.

He looked over at her before looking back at me.

"She's a new Diva. Her name's Janessa or something like that. She's challenging AJ for the Diva's title tonight. At least, according to the backstage gossip." He replied, prompting me to roll my eyes at him.

"Dude, you're the only member of The Shield who actually listens to that garbage!" I teased him before pushing him down the hallway toward the men's locker room.

I turned back for one final glance at her, but by then she had already disappeared through the curtain to make her WWE debut against AJ Lee.

 **Aneesa's POV**

I couldn't help but stare at the tall Samoan man. There was something about him that seemed so familiar, yet he was a stranger to me, as were the rest of the WWE employees. For 2,000 years I traveled around the world, doing whatever I needed in order to survive. No one ever suspected that I was a vampire, let alone a vampire that was 2,028 years old!

"I've got your music cued up. Aneesa. Ready to make your WWE debut?" the sound technician asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" I replied in my Romanian accent.

I stepped out from behind the curtain as the beginning notes of 'Living Dead Girl' by Rob Zombie played over the loudspeakers. Instead of slapping hands with the fans, I walked down the ramp with a purpose. As I walked up the metal stairs and onto the apron, I could see that AJ was a bit scared. In fact, she looked downright TERRIFIED. Even Justin Roberts, the ring announcer, seemed a bit apprehensive of me, making sure that he wasn't standing too close to me as he introduced me to the crowd.

"And making her WWE debut, from Transylvania Romania, Vampira!"

I know it sounds a bit cliché, an actual vampire using a vampire gimmick, but I figured that these...HUMANS...weren't smart enough to figure it out. The referee called for the bell and the match began.

From what I've heard, AJ Lee is a tough cookie when it comes to her in-ring ability. Her submission move has resulted in her victory over Kaitlyn a few months ago during a PPV. To be honest, I didn't give a flying fart about any of that. It didn't matter how many punches, kicks or throws that came my way...Little Miss Psycho Bitch was going DOWN!

Just as she was going for her signature move, I bared my fangs at her, making her believe that I was going to bite her. She hesitated a little bit, giving me a chance to use my finisher: Vampire's Kiss. I rolled her up and waited as the referee slapped the mat. 1-2-3! The bell rang and Justin handed the belt to the referee, who in turn handed it to me.

"Here is your winner and **_NEW_** Diva's Champion, Vampira!" Justin announced.

The crowd was stunned, as was everyone backstage. No one knew whether to cheer for me or boo me. I didn't care either way. There was a NEW Diva's Champion in town and I had no intentions of leaving anytime soon.

I walked up the ramp clutching my title belt while AJ threw a hissy fit in the ring. I laughed maniacally as a bunch of referees tried to calm her down, which only fueled the fire even more. Eventually, security had to be called to physically remove her from the ring so that the next match could take place.

Unbeknownst to me, someone had been watching the Diva's match intently. They had been stunned, of course, by the outcome, but also intrigued...intrigued by my in-ring abilities, my appearance and they liked what they saw.


	2. Introductions

**Aneesa**

"DID YOU SEE WHAT SHE DID OUT THERE?!" AJ screamed at referee Charles Robinson backstage after our match. Needless to say, she was livid after losing her Divas Championship to me.

"What do you want me to do, AJ? Reverse my decision because she threatened to bite you? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?" he shot back.

By now, a small crowd of Divas and Superstars were gathered around the two, trying to calm AJ down to no avail.

"I have to agree with Charles, AJ. Besides, it's all a part of her character, just like the tantrums you throw are a part of your character. And another thing: if you're not going to be professional about your loss to Aneesa, I will personally see to it that your rematch will never happen. Do I make myself clear?" Triple H, the COO of WWE, threatened.

She nodded her head before walking over to me. I was sitting on top of a storage case, staring intently at my newly won title when she approached me.

"I, uh, just wanted to congratulate you, Vampira." she said, knowing that we were on camera.

"I appreciate that, AJ. I must say that you are one tough competitor." I replied in my thick Romanian accent.

"Yeah...anyway I just wanted to tell you to enjoy your victory because sooner or later, I WILL get my title back." she threatened before walking out of view.

When our backstage segment was finished, I went to get the nameplate changed when I saw him again. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt that prominently displayed his muscles and a pair of light wash jeans that hugged his thighs and his ass. His fellow stablemates were standing next to him, talking and laughing about something when he looked up and saw me.

"Hey, you're the new Diva, right? The one who beat AJ for the Diva's Championship?" one of them asked as they walked over to me.

"Yes, I am. I'm Aneesa aka 'Vampira'. And you must be 'The Shield'."

"I'm Dean Ambrose. This here's Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns." Dean introduced himself and the other two guys.

 **Roman**

I couldn't help but stare at her while we were talking. I noticed that she was also staring at me, occasionally glancing at Seth and Dean. While we locked eyes, I felt this strange sensation come over me, as if someone was controlling my mind. I got the sudden urge to ask Aneesa out on a date.

"Sorry to interrupt here, but I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat after RAW tomorrow." I spoke up, ignoring the incredulous looks from the guys.

"I would love to, Roman. If you'll excuse me, I have to go switch the nameplate on my belt. It was nice to meet you all. And I'll see you tomorrow night, Roman." she said with a wink, walking down the hallway and out of sight.

The instant she disappeared from view, I could feel myself getting lightheaded and dizzy. It was so overwhelming that I had to lean against the wall to avoid losing my balance.

"Whoa! You okay, man?" Seth asked me, noticing that I was having trouble standing up.

"Uh, yeah yeah...I'll be alright. Just got a little woozy for a second, that's all. I think I just need some sleep and I'll feel a lot better in the morning." I replied, scrubbing my hands over my face.

We went back to our locker room to grab our bags so we could head back to our hotel.

Later that night, while laying in my hotel bed, I kept thinking about Aneesa. No matter how much I tossed and turned, I couldn't get her out of my head. To tell you the truth, I honestly didn't mind one bit! I was looking forward to my date with Aneesa and started wondering what the night would bring before falling into a deep sleep.


	3. Impatiently Waiting

**Aneesa**

I awoke the next morning after I had procured my monthly blood supply the previous night. In the 2,000 years since that fateful night, I have learned to adapt to human life without completely losing sight of what I am. For example, I only need to drink human blood once a month to satisfy my vampire needs, which in turn allows me to consume regular food. As for sunlight, I wore long sleeved dresses until sunscreen was invented.

As I got dressed and packed my duffel bag, my thoughts drifted to the upcoming date with Roman. There was just something about him that reminded me of Damon. Ever since his death, I have found it difficult to find myself a mate worthy enough to help me rebuild the coven. That is, until now.

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. I finished packing my belongings and walked over to the door, peering through the peephole. On the other side of the door was Aksana. Due to our Western European connections, we became fast friends. I grinned as I opened the door, giggling as she gave me a gigantic hug.

"Good morning, 'Neesa! Are you ready to head out?" she said, grabbing her luggage from the hallway.

"Let me just grab my stuff and I'll be ready to go!" I said, heading over to the bed, picking up my suitcase and duffel bag.

After making sure that I had everything, the two of us went down to the lobby to check out. To my surprise, we weren't the only ones at the front desk checking out. Dean and Seth were talking to the other desk attendant; Roman, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. I had just placed my room key on the counter and was getting a receipt when I felt a presence behind me.

"Boo!" a familiar male voice whispered into my ear, making me jump.

I spun around to see Roman standing behind me, luggage in hand and grinning from ear to ear at the fact that he had just startled me, which is no easy feat.

I rolled my eyes before lightly swatting him in the chest.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning, huh!" I quipped, turning back to the desk attendant and thanking him.

"Let's just say that my dreams were very pleasant." he said, giving me a wink.

I could feel my cheeks burning slightly from his comment. I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction to avoid anymore awkwardness.

"So, I'm looking forward to our date tonight." I said, looking deep into his eyes.

"As am I. I'm sure it's gonna be a night that neither one of us will ever forget." Roman replied, giving me a smirk.

 **Roman**

 _Did I really just say that?! I_ thought to myself. Keep in mind that I am NOT the kind of person who would say something like that. My mother would be absolutely appalled.

I looked at Aneesa, praying that I hadn't sounded too forward. To my relief, she wasn't offended. In fact, she looked more intrigued more than anything.

"Dude, time to go!" Seth called to me as he and Dean were standing by the hotel entrance.

I turned to him and held up my index finger to signal that I would be there in a minute. I turned back to Aneesa so we could bid farewell to each other, even though we were going to the same arena.

"See you after the show, hot stuff!" she said, giving me a seductive wink.

I watched as she grabbed her luggage and walked away with Aksana. After staring for a few seconds, I too grabbed my bags and walked over to my stable mates.

"Hey, Roman? You might want to stop 'saluting' everyone." Dean whispered before sniggering.

I looked down and realized that I had developed a bulge in my jeans. Cursing myself mentally, I turned around and proceeded to adjust myself accordingly.

"All better now?" He asked, still sniggering.

I smacked him in the arm in response, smirking as he yelped.

"Alright, you two. Stop messing around." Seth mock scolded us.

Both Dean and I looked at him, rolling our eyes as we left the hotel.

 **Aneesa**

When Aksana and I pulled into the arena parking lot, we noticed a small group of fans gathered near the back entrance. We knew that they were anxiously awaiting the WWE Superstars and Divas, hoping to get an autograph or even a photo with their favorite wrestler.

We approached the eager fans and obliged their requests. As we worked our way towards the door, one fan shouted out "OMG! IT'S THE SHIELD!" I turned around to see Dean, Seth and Roman making their way towards the fans. Aksana and I finished up our impromptu autograph session before heading back to our car to get our luggage.

As we passed by The Shield on our way to the entrance, we acknowledged each other's presence.

"Hello there, Aksana, Vampira." Roman greeted us, secretly winking at me.

"Boys." I replied, returning the wink before disappearing into the building.

Once inside, we dropped off our bags in the ladies locker room before checking out the match board. Aksana was teaming with Alicia Fox and Layla against Natalya and The Bella Twins. I, of course, would be defending my Divas Championship against AJ Lee in accordance with her rematch clause.

"Hey, 'Neesa! I'm going to grab something to eat in catering before meeting up with the girls. You wanna come with me?" Aksana asked me.

"Maybe later, 'Sana. I'm just gonna go back to the locker room and stretch." I politely declined, using my nickname for her.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement before heading off to catering. I turned back to the board, secretly checking to see if The Shield had a match. Sure enough, they were all in action: Dean was taking on Dolph and The Usos were in tag team action against Seth and Roman.

"Hey, Aneesa!" a voice rang out behind me.

I turned around to see AJ skipping toward me. Normally, our characters didn't get along very well (if at all), but we were on friendly terms behind the scenes.

"Hey, AJ! Have you seen the match board yet?" I asked her, playing with one of her pigtails.

"Yeah...'AJ' really wants her Divas Championship back. As for me, I could really care less. If I lose, I lose. No big deal. It's time that someone else held the title for awhile." She replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Very true. Did you want to go through the match or should we just repeat our moves from last night?" I asked.

"We might as well repeat the moves from last night's match, since we already have them memorized. I'm going to go find Dolph and wish him luck against Dean Ambrose. By the way, good luck tonight in our match!" she said before skipping down the hallway toward the mens locker room to find her real-life boyfriend.

A few minutes later, I felt another presence behind me. I turned my head to find The Shield standing there, checking out the match board.

"So, who's on the menu tonight, buys?" I asked, teasing them a little bit.

"Shouldn't you be asking Ryback that question?" Seth sniggered.

"Let me rephrase my question...who's getting justice served tonight?"

"Looks like I'm facing Dolph, with Roman and Seth interfering of course. And they are taking on The Usos. Doesn't it feel weird to be fighting your cousins?" Dean asked Roman.

"Well, it does make it awkward during family gatherings. Nah, I'm kidding. At the end of the day, we realize that we might be enemies in the ring, but we're still family." Roman replied.

I felt a hint of jealousy surge through my body when I heard him utter that word. That was something I had gone without for 2,000 years. I lost my entire family in one night, while Roman and everyone else in the WWE still had theirs. With that thought in mind, I was more determined than ever to make him my mate.

"We're gonna grab some food before we get ready for the show. You wanna join us, Aneesa?" Seth asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

"Thanks for the offer, boys, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. But I'll see you guys later." I politely declined their offer.

"Alright then. See you later!" Dean said, walking away with Seth and Roman.

When they were out of my line of vision, I quietly exhaled and leaned against the wall opposite the match board. My lust for Roman's blood grew with every passing minute and I knew that I would have to wait until after our date tonight. But would I be able to control myself once I had tasted it?


	4. Pre-date Jitters

**Aneesa**

The other Divas gathered around and watched as I checked myself out in the mirror. (Despite contrary belief, vampires DO have reflections. Or at least, _I_ do anyway.) I turned to my left, then my right, making sure that my dark wash skintight jeans were showing off my curves in all the right places. I had to admit that my ass looked DAMN good. I was also wearing a black off-the-shoulder tunic that showed enough cleavage without looking trashy. Last but not least, I wore a red pair of tall Converse sneakers (courtesy of AJ, of course.)

"Ooh, girl! You look **HOT** with a capital 'H'!" Cameron squealed.

"You ain't kiddin', Cam. Looks like someone's got a hot date tonight, huh?" Naomi teased.

I looked at her with disbelief.

"Naomi, how in the HELL did you know that?" I asked her incredulously.

"A little birdie told me." she replied nonchalantly.

"More like a little 'Jurdy' to me!" Cameron whispered to the rest of us.

"Oh, you mean Jimmy!" I replied, referring to Naomi's fiancé.

It didn't surprise me one bit that Roman would've mentioned our date with his cousins and that Naomi would know about it as well.

"Well, you would be correct, Naomi. It just so happens that I do have a date tonight with none other than Roman. And I'm a little bit nervous, to be honest. It's been awhile since I've dated." I sighed, turning back to the mirror to do my makeup (a rarity for me since I rely on my natural vampire beauty.)

"Just relax and do whatever comes naturally to you. You have absolutely nothing to worry about!" Brie assured me.

 _If only that were true_ , I thought to myself as I applied a few coats of red lipgloss.

 **Roman**

I was pacing back and forth in our locker room, like a caged animal waiting for the right moment to escape. It should be noted that I NEVER do this, not even before matches. Every once in a while, I would catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Our match against The Usos didn't go as well as we had hoped. Dolph went and got himself involved, which had Dean trying to help as well. Bottom line: tag match turned into a 6- man tag team match with The Shield taking on Dolph Ziggler and The Usos. And of course we won.

"Dude, you need to calm down. You look fine!" Seth told me.

I stopped pacing long enough to check myself out. I was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a black long sleeved button-down shirt. All I had to do now was pull my hair back into a ponytail and put on my shoes.

"Dude, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but if I was a chick, I'd totally date you." Dean teased, earning a slap upside the head from both me and Seth.

"Not helping here, Dean!" I said, grabbing my hairbrush out of my bag before running it through my hair.

"Hey, I'm sorry, man. I'm just trying to get your mind off of how nerve wracking this must be for you." he said, raising his hands in self defense.

"I appreciate it. It's just been awhile since I've dated anyone. Not since Amber and I..." I let my words trail off, thinking about my ex-fiancee who had passed away several months ago.

"She would want you to move on and find someone that makes you happy." Seth said, handing me a hair elastic.

"Not just you, but also Madison." Dean added, referring to my daughter.

"You guys are right. I need to get back out there and find that special someone who can make both of us happy!" I said, pulling the hair elastic around my hair.

"That's the spirit!" Seth cheered, clapping me on the back before handing me my shoes.

 **Aneesa**

I sat in a chair in front of the mirror, playing with my phone. Kaitlyn was using a large barreled curling iron to transform my straight locks into loose curls. Just as she was finishing up, my phone beeped. I checked my text messages and saw that I had one from Roman, saying that he was on his way to the women's locker room. Squealing with excitement, I quickly replied while Kaitlyn sprayed my curls with maximum hold hairspray. I stood up and gave myself one final look over before grabbing my purse.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, causing all of us girls to squeal and shriek with excitement. While the other girls gave me some last minute advice, Brie went to the door to let in my date.

"Oh, Aneesa! Guess who's here!" she teased in a sing-song voice.

I looked up and saw Roman walking toward me, a gigantic smile plastered on his face.

"You look AMAZING, Aneesa!" he said, making me blush.

"You don't look so bad yourself, handsome." I replied.

We spent a minute just staring into each other's eyes before AJ broke the silence.

"Okay, you two lovebirds. Don't stay out too late, got it?" she playfully lectured us.

"Yes, mother." I replied, playing along.

Roman offered me his arm and I graciously slipped mine through his before leaving the locker room. As the door closed behind us, I could hear the girls chatting excitedly amongst themselves, making me roll my eyes.

"So, where do you wanna go for our date?" Roman asked me as we walked down the hallway.

"Wherever you want, sweetheart." I replied.


	5. A Heart-to-heart With Sushi

**Aneesa**

Roman and I took a taxi to this all night sushi restaurant. I couldn't help but notice that the hostess was making googly eyes at him, much to my chagrin. The second she looked back to smirk at me, my eyes turned blood red, thwarting her attempts to flirt with him further. She gasped silently before grabbing two menus and seating us rather quickly. By the time she had returned to the hostess desk, my eyes had returned to their natural color (dark brown).

"Well, I hope you like sushi." he joked, perusing the menu.

"Of course I do. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble, wouldn't I!" I joked back.

Our waiter came over to the table to get our drink order. After conferring with Roman, we decided on sake. A few seconds later, he brought us the sake bottle and two shot glasses. We thanked him before pouring ourselves a glass and raising them for a toast.

"Here's to great conversation, good times and getting to know each other!" I said, clinking my glass against his.

After checking out the menu, we decided on what we were going to have. The look on our waiter's face made me giggle internally as Roman placed our order. We handed him the menus and he quickly walked over to the sushi bar, rapidly speaking Japanese to the sushi chefs and pointing at us excitedly.

"Safe to assume that they've never had an order that large before!" I told Roman.

"How do you know?" he asked me with curiosity.

"I speak fluent Japanese, along with several other languages." I replied nonchalantly.

"Just how many is several?" he pressed.

"Let's just say that if there was a real-life human version of C3PO, it would be me." I told him.

"Whoa. That's impressive! So, if someone decided to badmouth you and assumed that you couldn't understand a word of it..." he inquired.

"They'd be in for a rude awakening, especially if I replied back in their native tongue!" I said as we both chuckled.

Pretty soon, our conversation turned to our family lives, the one topic I had been dreading. I never liked talking about my family tragedy.

"My family has been involved with WWE for a long time. My father and uncle were a tag team called 'The Wild Samoans', my brother wrestled under the name 'Rosey' while he was a part of 3 Minute Warning and of course, everyone's favorite, 'Rosey the Super Hero In Training' when he worked with 'The Hurricane'. Then, you've got my cousins 'The Usos', their father 'Rikishi', my other cousin Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and my other cousins 'Umaga' and 'Yokozuna', who passed away 4 years and 13 years ago, respectively."

I whistled, showing how impressed I was with his wrestling lineage.

"So, do you have any family members who aren't with WWE?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I have a 5 year old daughter with my late fiancee." he replied, taking out his phone to find a picture he could show me.

"What's her name?" I inquired, referring to his daughter.

"Madison Aline Anoa'i. Uh...here we go. This was the last picture of the three of us before Amber passed away." He replied, handing me his phone.

I had to hold back tears as I stared at the picture. She was dressed as a princess (presumably from Halloween of last year), sitting in between Roman and her mother Amber. It was astonishing to see how much Madison looked like Roman. She was practically the spitting image of him, except for her green eyes, which she had apparently inherited from her mom.

"She's beautiful. They both are, actually. I hope you don't mind my asking, but how did Amber die?" I asked.

"She, uh, was driving to Madison's school to pick her up and a drunk driver hit her head-on in an intersection. They both died instantly. Instead of getting married in a matter of days, I had to help her family make funeral arrangements. It was hard on everyone, especially Madison. The family of the drunk driver has reached out to us several times, but I have yet to reply to them." Roman explained, trying to keep his composure.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. It's not easy losing people you love, especially if it's someone you were about to spend the rest of your life with. I can sympathize with your situation." I said, gently placing a hand on his.

"You mean you've lost a loved one who meant the world to you as well?" he asked me.

"Yes. I lost my mate Damon and our twins in a horrific tragedy. Two strangers snuck into our home and slaughtered them while we slept peacefully. I was the only survivor of the attack." I replied, staring out the window.

"I can't even begin to imagine what you went through with losing your two children. There are no words for it. I'm sorry that you had to go through so much pain and suffering. But if I've learned anything from losing Amber, it is possible to get through it." Roman said, gently squeezing my hand and shaking me out of my reverie.

"You're right. And thank you for understanding, Roman. That means so much to me." I replied, giving him a sincere smile.

 **Roman**

Our food came soon after we had finished our little heart-to-heart. As we ate, our conversation turned to the upcoming WWE European tour.

"Can you believe that we're going to be in Romania for the first time ever?" I asked her in between bites.

"I know. I can't wait! Plus, we have a couple days to sightsee, which means I could show you where my family came from." she replied excitedly.

"I would love that! I've always been fascinated by the folklore of Transylvania." I told her.

"Just so you know, it's not all make believe. Just saying." Aneesa warned me, her chopsticks pointed directly at my face.

I noticed that she had a piece of sashimi in between the chopsticks, so I leaned forward and sunk my teeth into the salmon. She watched as I quickly ate it and chased it down with a shot of sake.

"Excuse me, but that was _my_ piece of sashimi!" she scoffed, giving me a mock scowl.

"You snooze, you lose!" I crowed triumphantly in a playful way.

With those words, Aneesa used her chopsticks to steal one of my salmon rolls. Before I could protest, she popped it in her mouth before giving me a look of satisfaction.

"You were saying?" she said, taking a healthy gulp of sake.

"Touché, madam." I jokingly said to her, making her giggle.

132 fresh salmon rolls, 72 fresh salmon sashimi pieces and 8 octopus sushi pieces later, we were ready to pay and head to our hotel. Aneesa's roommate Aksana had already taken her luggage to their room while Dean and Seth had taken mine to our room.

"The cab should be here in a few minutes." she informed me, hanging up on her cell phone.

"Excellent. Seth gave me the address for the hotel everyone is staying at before we left." I told her, putting some money on the table to pay for our meal.

 **Aneesa**

Roman once again offered me his arm and I graciously took it as we exited the restaurant. A few seconds later, the taxi cab pulled up and we climbed into the back. He gave the driver the address for the hotel and we sped off into the night. Before we knew it, we had arrived at the hotel. I paid the driver for our trip, telling him to keep the change as we got out. After heading into the hotel, we checked into our rooms and got an extra key. It turned out that our rooms were on the same floor, but on opposite ends of the hallway.

The elevator ride to our floor was silent, as was the walk to mine and Aksana's room. Even though he didn't have to escort me, Roman insisted on it.

"So..." I began.

"I had a great time tonight." he said, looking down at his feet.

"So did I. We should do it again sometime." I replied, placing my hand under his chin so I could look into his eyes.

"I'd like that." He said, giving me a smile.

After a few seconds of embarrassed silence, he leaned down to kiss me. _Now's your chance, Aneesa. Sample his blood. You know you want to_ , my mind was telling me. But deep down inside, I knew that now was not the time. I had to wait for a more appropriate time when we were completely alone.

I felt his lips brush against my cheek, making me blush.

Before we said our final goodnights, we made sure to exchange numbers so we could keep in touch.

"Goodnight, Aneesa. See you at the Smackdown tapings tomorrow." Roman said before heading to The Shield's room.

"Pleasant dreams, Roman." I replied before entering mine and Aksana's room. The second the door closed behind me, I sighed happily, unaware that she was still awake, anxiously awaiting to hear every detail of our date.

"So, how was your date with the Samoan Sex Pot?" she asked me, giving me a wink.

"It was wonderful, 'Sana. I think I'm in love with Roman Reigns!" I said, heading over to my suitcase and pulling out my pajamas.

"I need details, 'Neesa! Where did you go? What did you do? Did he french you?" she asked me eagerly.

"We went to an all-night sushi restaurant, where we spent our time talking about our families and how much we love being in the WWE. And no, he didn't french me. For Heaven's sake, 'Sana, the man is a complete gentleman! All I got was a simple peck on the cheek. So, sorry to disappoint you." I flat out told her while changing into my pajamas.

"Hmph! And here I was hoping for a little more action!" she quipped before we headed into the bathroom to brush our teeth.

"Honey, we need to find you a boyfriend. Then you can have all the action you want!" I said, waiting for her to finish.

A few minutes later, we returned to our beds and said goodnight to each other before turning out the lights. I knew that in time, I would get what I wanted. And at that moment, I knew when and where it would happen. I soon drifted into a peaceful slumber with that particular thought in my mind and a tiny smile on my face.


	6. Seating Arrangements

**Roman**

I was currently sitting in the airport lounge, along with Seth and Dean. We were waiting for our flight to begin boarding so we could embark on our overseas tour of Europe, along with half of the WWE roster. While they were busy getting snacks at the vending machine, I grabbed my carry-on and went over to sit next to Aneesa. It had been a few weeks since our first date and since then we had been trying to make time to see each other, despite our hectic schedules.

"Hey, beautiful. What are you doing?" I asked her as I sat next to her.

"Just checking out our schedules for the tour." She replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"I can't believe that they've arranged a private tour of a castle in Transylvania for us!" I exclaimed, pulling out my boarding pass.

"I know. It'll be good to see the old country again." She said, checking her boarding pass as well.

"So, where are you seated?" I asked, trying to sneak a peek at her pass.

"7-D. How about you?" she inquired.

"I'm in 7-E, right next to you! Is this fate or what!" I rejoiced, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey! No PDA, you two!" Seth scolded as he walked over to us.

"It was just a kiss on the cheek!" I tried to defend myself.

"Try to keep it PG, will ya? I don't need an excuse to use the air sickness bag on the plane _before_ we take off." Dean complained, tossing me a bag of M &Ms.

"So, where you two lovebirds sittin', eh?" Seth asked.

"I'm in 7-E and Aneesa is in 7-D." I replied, smirking as my stablemates began frowning.

"But The Shield always sits together on airplanes. This is an injustice, I tell you. INJUSTICE!" Dean exclaimed, earning him a light smack on the shoulder.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake. It's just one flight. I think you'll live." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Plus, Aksana is sitting next you. I'm sure she'll be more than willing to trade seats with Roman during our flight. That way, you three can have a conversation together and us girls can do the same." Aneesa offered.

I noticed that when Aneesa mentioned Aksana's name, she grabbed her bag and came over to us.

"What's going on over here? I heard you speak my name!" she said, looking at the four of us excitedly.

"I was just saying that you would be more than willing to trade seats with Roman if you wanted to have some girl talk." Aneesa explained.

"Of course! Plus, I think that Natalya and Kaitlyn are sitting behind us, so us girls can gossip about boys and whatnot." Aksana exclaimed.

"So, it's settled. At some point during our flight, we'll switch seats once the pilot turns the seatbelt light off." I said, throwing an arm around Aneesa's shoulders and giving her a hug.

At that moment, our flight number was announced and it was time to board the plane. Being a gentlemen, I allowed both Aneesa and Aksana to go ahead of me in line, earning snickers from both Dean and Seth. It was hard to believe that in 16 hours, we would be landing in Belfast, Northern Ireland to begin our tour. I could hardly wait, unaware of what lie ahead for both Aneesa and I.


	7. One Bloody Nightmare

**Roman**

 _Aneesa and I were in Transylvania, taking a tour of a historic castle with the rest of the WWE Superstars. As we were listening to the tour guide, I couldn't help but notice that Aneesa was drifting away from our group, heading towards a hallway that apparently was off-limits to visitors. Since Dean, Seth and I were at the back of the group, it was easy for me to leave their sides and follow her._

 _"Dude, what are you doing?" Seth asked me._

 _"Just checking to see where Aneesa went to." I replied, quietly slipping away from our group._

 _He nodded his head before turning back toward the tour guide while I discreetly followed Aneesa down the hallway. I noticed that she had disappeared into a room and I quickly made my way to the room's entrance. I stood in the doorway as she walked around the room._

 _"This was the room that Damon and I slept in. We were in the middle of a deep sleep when we heard screaming." She said out of the blue, as if she had sensed that I was there._

 _Instead of waiting for a response, she walked past me and back into the hallway, heading into another room a few feet away. I followed her into the next room._

 _"We rushed into the room and found a pile of ash in our twins' bed. He had stabbed our son with a holy water laced spike. And now he was holding our daughter by the hair, ready to stab her as well. Before we could do anything, he had killed her. Damon reached him first. He sank his fangs into the man's neck and drained him dry."_

 _I watched as she sank onto the bed, tears forming in her eyes. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arms around her, trying to comfort her._

 _"Before we could grieve for our children, another man entered the room. Damon sacrificed himself so I could survive. I drained the man dry and watched helplessly as Damon turned to ash, but not before telling me that I was the last chance for our coven."_

 _"I thought you said that it happened_ _years_ _ago. There's something you're not telling me, isn't there." I asked her, confusion etched on my face as I turned to look at her._

 _"It_ _did_ _happen years ago...2,000 years, to be exact. What I'm trying to say is that I'm a vampire. It's not just a gimmick in the ring, Roman. It's real! I have lived alone for the last 2,000 years, searching for the right man to become my new mate. And that man is you, Roman. Together, you and I can rebuild our coven. All it takes is for us to taste each other's blood and we will live...forever!" She said as she bared her fangs and her eyes turned blood red._

 _Before I could protest, she sank her fangs into my neck and began to drink. I could feel my mind being taken over as she drank. After a few seconds, she stopped, running her tongue over the holes to stop the bleeding. Then, she bit her wrist and placed it in front of my mouth._

 _"Do it! It just takes one drop and we can be together forever!" she commanded._

 _I wanted so desperately to resist the urge, but I had no choice but to taste her blood. I had to force myself to choke down the metallic tasting liquid._

I awoke with a start, my body drenched in sweat. I threw the sheets off and sat up, putting my head in my hands. I tried to calm myself down, but to no avail. I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me. I dropped to my knees and began to throw up violently into the toilet, trying to rid myself of that hellacious metallic taste that I swore was still in my mouth.

After I finished retching, I flushed the toilet and wiped my mouth with my hand. As I sat there, I had to remind myself that it was just a dream, albeit a very realistic one. I got up off the floor and turned on the sink, cupping my hands under the running water and splashing it on my face. I cupped my hands under the faucet once more and poured the water into my mouth. Then I grabbed a towel and dried my face off before opening the door and heading back to my hotel bed. I could see Seth laying on his side on the other bed. He watched with concern as I slid back under the sheets.

"Hey, man. You okay?" he asked, whispering to avoid waking Dean, who was sound asleep on the sofa bed.

"Yeah. I think so." I whispered back, laying on my side so I could face him.

"Just thought I'd ask. I could hear you muttering in your sleep and you were tossing and turning. Bad dream?" he inquired.

"More like a nightmare." I admitted, trying to fall asleep.

"Well, if you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here. Goodnight!" he said, flipping over to his other side before falling asleep.

I flipped onto my back and closed my eyes. As I laid there, I kept reliving those horrific moments from my nightmare. I knew that I was in for a long night and that Aneesa might have something to do with it.


	8. Roman Sees Red

**Roman**

It was a few days after I had my nightmare. I still hadn't told Seth or Dean about it. But there was one person that I was dying to tell (and needed to tell): Aneesa. There was something strange going on and I had a feeling that she knew something about it.

It was during one of our house shows that I decided to confront her. I searched backstage for her before the show started. After looking around for a few minutes, I found her talking to Cameron and Naomi in catering. They were sitting at a secluded table near the wall, so I made my way over to them. As I approached, Aneesa looked up and gave me a big smile.

"Hey there, sexy! I was just talking strategy with Naomi and Cameron about our 6 Diva tag match against Aksana, AJ and Tamina. What's up?" she said as she greeted me.

"I need to talk to you in private, if you don't mind." I replied, politely directing my words toward Cameron and Naomi.

"Of course we don't mind, Roman. We need to get ready anyways. See you out there for our tag match, 'Neesa!" Naomi said as she and Cameron got up from the table.

As they left the room, I sat down next to Aneesa. She just watched as I folded my hands before placing them on the table, all the while not saying a word. She could tell that something was bothering me, so she placed a hand on top of mine.

"I know there's something bothering you, Roman. I can see it in your eyes…you know you can tell me anything." She reassured me.

I let out a gigantic sigh before I began.

"Well, the other night, I had a really weird dream. Actually, it was more of a nightmare, but anyway. We were at a castle in Transylvania and you had wandered off down a hallway that was off limits to visitors. I didn't want you to get in trouble, so I went after you to bring you back to our group. That's when things started getting really weird. You started talking about the attack while you were exploring a couple of the rooms."

While I was telling Aneesa about my nightmare, I kept glancing at her face, trying to read her expression. Instead, she sat there, listening intently, her face showing no expression of any kind.

"Finally, you revealed something to me that I couldn't believe. You told me that you were a...a..." my voice trailed off.

"A what, Roman?" she asked.

"A vampire. You said that you had been searching for 2,000 years, trying to find a new mate, which was me. Then, you bared your fangs and sank them into my neck, drinking my blood. After you healed my wound, you made me taste your blood."

I finished telling her about the dream and once again searched her face for some sort of reaction. But still, there was nothing and I had to admit that it bothered me. It was like she heard what I said, but didn't care.

 **Aneesa**

I could tell that Roman was agitated because I hadn't shown any emotion whatsoever while he was telling me about his dream. In reality, I was quite bothered by the fact that he'd had the dream.

"Well?" he asked me.

"Well what?" I replied, hesitantly.

"Were you listening to me?" he questioned.

"Of course I was listening to you, Roman. It's just..." I let my voice trail off.

"Just what? A figment of my imagination and that I should just forget about it? I can't do that, Aneesa. How can I forget something like that? It was so vivid, so realistic! You have no idea how disturbed I was after waking up from that...that nightmare!" he shouted, garnering strange looks from people.

"Roman, please...I know you're upset-" I began to say.

"Upset? Upset?! I'm beyond upset, Aneesa. I poured my heart out to you and you're acting like you don't care at all!" he interrupted.

"I do care, Roman. But I think that we should continue this conversation somewhere else where people aren't apt to stare at us." I replied to his outburst.

Both he and I got up from the table without saying a word, passing by a bunch of Superstars and backstage personnel that were entering catering. I could hear them whispering to each other and inwardly rolled my eyes as we made our way down the hallway toward the locker rooms. After finding one that was empty, I grabbed Roman by the arm and threw him into the room before I entered, slamming the door behind me. It was quite evident by my actions that my patience was wearing thin. I could feel the anger surging through my body.

"Well, we're alone now. Mind telling me why the hell you just manhandled me like that?" Roman demanded as he stared intently at me.

"Because you're pissing me off and you _really_ don't want to do that." I replied, earning a scoff in return.

"Give me a break! Do you honestly think that I'm scared of a 115 pound girl with a vampire gimmick? Give me one good reason why I should be scared!" he sneered.

The second he said that, my eyes instantly turned blood red, causing him to back away rather quickly with a look of shock and horror plastered on his face.

"Wha-wha-what the hell? Why are your eyes all red?" he asked, clearly confused.

I watched as Roman's eyes rolled back into his head before he passed out. _Well, that went better than I expected_ , I thought to myself.


	9. Now Or Never Part 1

**ANEESA**

The second Roman hit the floor, I immediately went into panic mode. I flung the locker room open, nearly hitting Seth and Dean in the face, causing them to back away fairly quickly.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry about that, guys. But, I'm so glad you're here, to be honest." I said, grabbing their arms and pulling them into the locker room.

I made sure no one was watching before slamming the door shut behind us and I let go of their arms.

"Aneesa, what's going on? You seem a little flustered…OH SHIT! Roman, buddy, you alright?" Dean started to ask, but stopped when he noticed Roman lying on the ground and ran to his side.

"Um…" I was at a loss for words.

"Aneesa, what happened to Roman?" Seth asked me as he and Jon tried to wake him up.

I knew that I couldn't tell them the truth, so I fibbed. Not exactly fibbed; just left out some vital information.

"We were just talking and the next thing I knew, he passed out!" I quickly replied.

"We need to get Doc Sampson in here to make sure that he didn't get concussed. Seth, you mind staying here with Aneesa while I go get him?" Dean asked.

Seth nodded as Dean stood up and left the locker room. For the next minute or so, Seth slapped Roman's face, trying to get him to open his eyes. I, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth, wringing my hands and trying to keep calm. Suddenly, I heard footsteps in the hallway and looked up to see Dean re-entering the room, along with Doc Sampson and one of his assistants.

"Now, what seems to be the problem here?" Doc Sampson said as he knelt down next to Roman, all the while looking at me.

"Like I told Dean and Seth, we were having a conversation and all of a sudden, Roman passed out!" I explained.

There was a loud groan and everyone looked to see Roman opening his eyes and trying to sit up, which raised cause for concern.

"Whoa whoa whoa there, Roman. We can't have you sit up just yet. We need to examine you first!" Doc Sampson cried out, his hands preventing Roman from moving any further.

"Ugh…I feel like I just got KOed by Big Show!" Roman groaned, holding his head in one hand.

"Oh, thank God! I'm so sorry, baby. This is all my fault!" I cried, kneeling down next to Doc Sampson.

"'Neesa, could we talk about it later, when I'm feeling better?" Roman asked me, taking my hand into his and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Of course. I'm just gonna go take a walk. Seth, let me know how he's doing, okay?" I said, giving Roman's hand a kiss before standing up and walking out of the locker room.

Seth nodded before taking my place next to Roman. I made my way to the women's locker room, which was empty except for AJ and Aksana, who were talking to Naomi and Cameron. When they saw me enter, AJ ran up to me and gave me a gigantic hug, which I half-heartedly returned. She and the other girls could tell that something was up from the look in my eyes.

"Aneesa? You okay, girl?" Naomi asked me.

I shook my head, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to form.

"What happened? Did your talk with Roman not go the way you wanted?" Cameron asked.

At the mention of his name, I burst into tears and sank to the floor, causing the girls to rush over to me and comfort me.

"It was going okay until he started getting mad and we took our conversation elsewhere to avoid being stared at. And things just went downhill from there! And…and…"

I couldn't finish my sentence due to my uncontrollable sobbing. Aksana stood up and grabbed a tissue box from the bathroom before setting it down next to me. For the next few minutes, I just sat there and bawled my eyes out. As the tears tumbled down my face, a thought entered my head: _you need to tell people the truth. They need to know. You know this and yet you're too afraid of what people might think. You have lived your whole life not caring what people thought of you. It's time to let the world know exactly who you are._

The girls were stunned when I pushed the tissue box away.

"Aneesa, are you okay now?" AJ asked me with concern.

"I'm fine, AJ. Never been better, actually. I need to tell you girls something. Actually, I need to tell everyone something. But I need to know right now if I will still have your friendship and trust regardless of what I have to say."

I couldn't help but notice the look of fear that was etched on the girls' faces. I had been lying to my friends long enough. It was now or never.

Finally, Aksana nodded, followed by AJ. Both Cameron and Naomi were a little tentative, but they too nodded their heads. Just then, there was a knock on the door. We looked up to see Seth standing in the doorway.

"Um, I hate to break up ladies aid, but could I borrow Aneesa for a second?" he asked.

I nodded before standing up and making my way over to him.

"So, how is he?" I asked him in a hushed voice.

"He's fine. There's no concussion, but as a precaution, Doc Sampson has told him not to compete tonight. He sent him back to the hotel for the night." He reassured me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. He was okay…he was going to be alright.

"Which brings me to the next item…he needs to be supervised for the next 24 hours, so creative is changing the 6 Diva tag match tonight. Instead, it will be the Funkadactyls vs Aksana and AJ with Tamina at ringside. Dean and I would supervise him, but punishment needs to be doled out, regardless of whether all three members of 'The Shield' are in the building or if there are only two." He explained, handing me a key card.

"What's this?" I asked, taking it from him.

"The key card for you and Roman's room. Instead of bunking with Roman, I'm rooming with Dean so you can take care of him." He said with a genuine smile.

I gave him a hug before turning to the girls.

"Guess I'm not needed tonight after all." I told them.

"But, what about our match tonight?" AJ asked, confused.

"Well, Seth just informed me that it will be you and Aksana taking on the Funkadactyls. Tamina will just be at ringside instead of tagging with you. Doc Sampson needs me to stay with Roman in case his head gets worse." I explained.

"What happened to his head?" Naomi asked, utter confusion etched in her voice and on her face.

"He just bumped it really hard on something. They just want to make sure that it's not going to turn into a concussion or something." I lied.

"Okay, then. See you later, girl!" Cameron bid me farewell.

The other girls said their goodbyes as I grabbed my things before heading out.

"Here's the address for the hotel and Roman's bags. If it weren't for the fact that he's not able to lift anything heavy, he would've taken them with." Seth said, handing me a slip of paper.

"Thanks, Seth, for everything. Good luck in your match tonight! Win it for Roman, okay?" I said before heading down the hallway with both sets of luggage in hand.

"We will! Take care of our big brute, Aneesa. We need him!" he shouted at my back.

 **SETH**

As soon as Aneesa was out of sight, the girls came up to the doorway and stood next to me.

"There's something fishy going on." AJ said.

"You said it, girl. But, no matter what happens, just remember that we promised Aneesa that we would have her back." Cameron said.

"I just wanna know what she has to tell us!" Aksana said.

"Well, let's not stand here dwelling about it…we've got a show to do!" I exclaimed.

I bid the girls goodbye before heading back to The Shield's locker room. When I got back, Dean was already lacing his boots. I quickly got dressed in my tactical gear, socks and boots before pulling my gloves on.

"You ready to serve some justice?" he asked me, pumping me up.

"I'm ready!" I shouted back.

"Who are they gonna believe in?!"

"The Shield!"

"Hell yeah! Let's get out there and win this one for Roman!" he said, slapping me on the back.


	10. Now Or Never Part 2

**ANEESA**

I left the arena with mine and Roman's suitcases. A taxi cab was waiting outside for me, so I hopped into the backseat and handed the driver the address for the hotel. The driver tried to make conversation with me, but all I really wanted was to sit there in silence and think about what I was going to say to Roman and to everyone. A few minutes later, we pulled up to the hotel. I handed him some money and told him to keep the change before hopping out of the taxi. I had barely gotten the door shut before he sped off into the night. I headed into the hotel with both suitcases rolling behind me and went directly to the elevators. Seth had texted me the room number, so all I had to do was press the right floor number and I was on my way up.

DING! The elevator sounded, alerting me that it had stopped on the floor that I needed. The doors opened and I stepped into the hallway to make my way towards mine and Roman's room. A sense of nervousness surged through my body as I pulled the key card out of my pants pocket. My hand was shaking like a leaf as I inserted the card into the card reader and quickly pulled it out again. I watched as the indicator light turned from red to green, meaning that I could enter the room. I carefully pushed the door handle down and made my way into the room.

It was dark, save for the bathroom light trickling in through a small crack in the door. I could just barely make out Roman lying on one of the beds, a makeshift ice pack on his head. He was already in a wife beater and sweatpants and his feet were bare. I took my shoes off and placed them underneath the desk.

"Hey, stranger. How you feeling?" I asked as I placed the suitcases in the closet.

"Except for the pain in my head, I'm not doing too badly at all." He replied, turning his head to look at me.

"I am so so sorry about this, baby. You should be back at the arena with Seth and Dean, dishing out justice. And I should be teaming with the Funkadactyls and teaching AJ and her posse a thing or two about what a real Divas champion looks like." I said, trying not to break down.

"Hey! Stop blaming yourself for what happened. I'm not happy about it either, but what's done is done. It gives us the opportunity to talk." He consoled me.

I watched as he scooted over on the bed and patted the area next to him. Without hesitation, I made my way over to the bed and lay down beside him, sighing happily as he threw his arms around me.

"About that…you're absolutely right, Roman. We do need to talk. I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you or with anyone in the company. I've been tiptoeing around the topic for so long because I was so afraid of what people might say or think about me. But it's time for me to come clean and tell you who I really am." I told him.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened back at the arena?" he asked.

"Yes. What I'm about to tell you might shock you. But first, I need you to promise that nothing will change between us." I said to him.

"I'll try, Aneesa. Really, I will." Roman replied.

"Okay…here goes nothing. Everything I ever told you was true, except for the fact that I left out one crucial piece of information: it all happened years ago…2,000 years, to be exact." I explained.

I could sense that he was confused, so I continued.

"What I'm trying to tell you is that I am a real-life vampire. I came up with the vampire gimmick and the name 'Vampira' because I figured that no one would ever catch on to my true nature." I concluded.

"So…the thing with the eyes…that's not just a parlor trick?" he asked, a little taken aback.

"No parlor trick…it's the real deal. It's only happened one other time. When we were at the sushi restaurant, the hostess wouldn't stop making googly eyes at you. It infuriated me and my eyes turned blood red. It's a rarity for me. They only turn blood red when I'm extremely angry."

"Okay, that makes sense. But there are other things that I don't quite understand."

"What else do you want or need to know?"

"There have been a couple of times when I felt dizzy after having a conversation with you. Is that another part of your vampire abilities?" Roman asked.

"Unfortunately. Did it ever happen when you made direct eye contact with me?" I questioned him.

"Now that you mention it, it did!" he exclaimed, carefully sitting on his side of the bed.

"Whatever you do, don't make direct eye contact with a vampire. We tend to go a little overboard with our mind control powers and it can drain a human of their ability to think and act on their own accord. Anything else?"

"Just one more thing...just tell me the truth, Aneesa. You don't…um…you know…" he trailed off.

"I know what you're referring to and yes, I do. But it's not what you think. It's not at all what people read in books and see in movies. We don't drink everyone's blood…only people who have taken an innocent life are fed upon. Fortunately, I only need to feed on human blood once a month."

Roman sat there with his head bowed, not uttering a single word. I could tell that he was trying to process this information. I crawled on my knees across the bed and knelt behind him.

"I understand that this is a lot to comprehend. That's why I was so hesitant to tell anyone about who I really was." I told him, throwing my arms around him.

"I'm actually glad you told me this. Yes, it is a lot to process, but it's just something I'm going to have to accept. But there is one more thing I have to know." He said, turning his head to look at me.

"And what would that be, sir?" I asked him.

"You're not older than me, are you?" he asked me, failing to hide the smirk on his face.

"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed as I grabbed a pillow and smacked him.

He laughed heartily as I hit him over and over again with the pillow.

"I was just asking!" he said in between his laughter.

"You're perfectly okay with me being a vampire, but you're worried that I'm older than you? Unbelievable!" I said.

As I continued to hit him, I felt his hands grab my waist and his fingers dug into my sides. One downside to being a vampire is that we are insanely ticklish and the slightest touch can make us weak.

"R-Roman! Cut it out! I'm v-very ticklish!" I squealed, trying to keep my grip on the pillow.

"You shouldn't have told me that…now the tickle monster is gonna get you!" he threatened, focusing on my underarms.

I couldn't stand it any longer and released my grip on the pillow. Before long, the two of us were rolling around on the bed, an all-out tickle fight unfolding right before our eyes. I knew that one of us had to tap out or this tickle war would never end.

"M-mercy! Please have mercy, Roman. I c-can't take it anymore!" I pleaded, trying desperately to catch my breath.

Roman graciously ended his torture on me and together we flopped down on the bed, our bodies intertwined. As we lay there, I couldn't help but think about the one thing I wanted most.

"Roman, you know I love you, right?" I asked him.

"Right."

"And you know that I would do anything for you, right?"

"What are you getting at, Aneesa?" he asked point blank.

"I want you to become my mate." I simply stated.

"Your mate, as in becoming a vampire?" he asked, incredulously.

"Yes, of course." I replied.

"What about Madison? You're not going to turn her into a vampire too, are you?" he asked, almost demanding to know the answer.

"Unless a child is born a vampire, they must wait until the age of 18 in human years to be turned, if they so choose. It's been in the vampire law for thousands of years. It would be improper to turn a human child into a vampire against their will. I know what a close bond you have with your daughter and it wouldn't be right for me to destroy that bond." I reassured him, trying to calm him down by rubbing his arm.

"I do love you, Aneesa. I really do, but I need time to think about it." He said, pulling me close.

"If that's what you want, Roman. I don't want to pressure you or anything. Oh, by the way, I plan on telling everyone else my secret." I told him, closing my eyes.

"When are you going to do that?" he asked as he too closed his eyes.

"Probably tomorrow or the next day…I haven't decided yet." I said, slowly falling into a peaceful slumber.

"I'm here for you, babe. I'll be right there, encouraging you every step of the way." Roman said, squeezing my hand gently.

"I love you, Roman." I breathed quietly as sleep overtook me.

"I love you too, my Aneesa." He replied as he nodded off to dreamland.


	11. Now Or Never Part 3

**ANEESA**

Our European tour had come to an end and we were finally heading back to the United States. On the plane ride home, I couldn't help but think about what I was going to say to everyone. I had told Roman that I was planning on telling everyone while we were in Europe, but thought it wise to wait until we had returned to the US. However, I had met with Mr. McMahon, Stephanie McMahon-Levesque and Triple H just before our tour had ended. Needless to say, it had gone well, but I couldn't ignore that nagging feeling that they were planning something, just to start drama within the company so that their ratings would continue to improve.

It was quite a long flight and I had already stretched my legs at least a dozen times. Now I was staring into space while Roman sat next to me, reading a magazine. He could sense my unease and set his magazine down before reaching over to grab my hand.

"You okay, Aneesa?" he asked me, gently squeezing my hand.

"I guess so. I'm just still reeling about that meeting I had with Vince, Stephanie and Triple H." I replied.

"I know it can seem a bit daunting talking to the CEO, but just remember what I said. I'm here for you, no matter what happens." He reassured me.

"I appreciate that, babe. I love you, Roman." I told him, kissing him on the cheek.

"I love you too. Now, you just rest your head on my chest and try to get some sleep. It'll be a while before we land." He told me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

I laid my head on his chest, closed my eyes and soon fell asleep while he continued to read his magazine.

About 4 hours later, I felt someone tap my shoulder from behind. I slowly opened my eyes and turned around to see Seth grinning at me.

"We're just about ready to land. You better wake Roman." He said, sitting back in his seat.

I turned to look at Roman. His magazine had fallen to the floor, so I bent over to retrieve it. He was breathing quietly and he had a peaceful look on his face. I hated to disturb him, but since we would be landing in a few minutes, I knew I had to. I carefully slipped my free hand underneath his shirt and began caressing his abs, smirking to myself as the muscles beneath rippled from my touch.

"'Neesa, cut that out. It tickles." He muttered, trying to move my hand away from his very ticklish stomach.

"Sorry, babe, but Seth just told me that the plane is about to land. Time to wake up!" I said, brushing the hair out of his face so I could kiss him.

As the plane touched down, his eyes fluttered open and he raised his arms to stretch out, causing his shirt to ride up. I took advantage and gave his abs a quick little tickle, earning a stern look from Roman.

"I mean it, Aneesa. You know how ticklish I am on my stomach!" he warned me, quickly putting his arms down.

"Among other places." I muttered under my breath.

"Very funny, 'Neesa." He retorted, rolling his eyes.

"I guess the tickle monster will just have to punish me, then." I said, teasing him.

"He will when we get to the hotel." Roman whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

After disembarking the plane, gathering our luggage from baggage claim and getting our rental car, we left the airport and headed for the hotel. We got a suite, complete with a living room, kitchenette and dining table. There were also two bedrooms, meaning that Dean and Seth would be sharing a room while Roman and I would be sharing, which was fine by me.

Once we were checked into our suite, Dean and Seth headed down to the gym and arcade, respectfully, while Roman and I stayed in the living room. We were sitting on the couch, just cuddling, when the guys left. The second the door closed behind them, however, Roman climbed on top of me and began tickling me, causing me to squeal.

"Cootchie cootchie coo! The tickle monster is gonna punish you real good for that little stunt on the plane!" he taunted.

All I could do was lay there and laugh while he tickled my sides.

"Stahahahahap it, Roman! I'm sohohohohorry!" I said in between my laughter.

"Who's Roman? I'm the tickle monster!" he shouted, running his fingers up and down my bare feet, which is my absolute worst spot.

"Nohohohohoho! I cahahahahan't take it!" I screamed.

Roman lowered his face down to mine before ending his torture.

"Keep it down, young lady. Wouldn't want to disturb the neighbors, would we?" he said.

I shook my head, trying to keep my laughter in check as he kissed me on the nose.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" he asked.

"I don't know...that meeting with the McMahons just stressed me out so much that it's making it difficult for me to relax!" I groaned.

"Y'know, whenever Amber would get stressed out about wedding planning or whatnot, I would give her a foot massage, knowing that it could calm her down. If you're willing to give it a shot, I could give you one." Roman kindly offered, sitting up.

I looked at him with apprehension.

"I promise that I won't tickle you. Now just place your feet in my lap and let me do the rest." He assured me, patting his lap with his hands while giving me a sincere smile.

I sighed as I carefully placed my feet in Roman's lap, knowing that I had no choice but to trust him. True to his word, he gently grasped my left foot and began working his magic. I couldn't help but let out a content sigh as his fingers massaged the tension right out of my body.

"Oh, yeah, Roman. You were right." I moaned.

"What did I tell you, huh! Works every time." He said, proudly.

Just then, Dean and Seth came back from their respective locations. Seth ordered some Chinese food while Dean took a quick shower. An hour later, our food showed up and we sat around the dining table, talking about our favorite parts of the European trip. As we chatted, I heard the text notification on my cell phone go off. I got up to check it just as the guys' cell phones also went off. Dean groaned as he looked at the text message.

"Ugh...mandatory talent meeting tomorrow? Seriously?! What now!" he growled, turning his phone off before throwing back into his pocket.

"Maybe they're moving some of the NXT talent up to the main roster!" Seth ventured a guess.

As the two Shield members speculated as to why there would be a talent meeting, I gave Roman a worried look. He squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me, but at that moment, all I felt was a wave of nausea surge through my body. I stood up and rushed for the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. My actions startled Dean and Seth, who immediately stopped their conversation, choosing instead to watch as Roman got up and followed me.

 **ROMAN**

I entered the bathroom just in time to hear Aneesa empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet. I kneeled down beside her and held her hair away from her face, whispering encouraging words into her ear. When she was finished, I flushed the toilet before grabbing a plastic cup and filling it with water.

"Here...swish some water around in your mouth to get rid of the vomit taste." I told her, handing her the water cup.

She took a gigantic swig of the water and swished it around before spitting it into the toilet.

"Thank you, baby. Ugh, I don't know what came over me! As soon as I heard 'mandatory meeting', my heart just sank! This isn't exactly the way I imagined telling everyone, you know? I was just hoping that I could tell my friends in private...instead, I have to tell the entire WWE roster. What if this turns out to bite me in the ass? What's going to happen to us? What if they force me to lea-" she stopped as I pressed my lips against hers, not caring if her breath still smelled of Chinese food and vomit.

We sat there on the cold bathroom floor for a few seconds before ending our kiss.

"I've said this before, Aneesa...I'm here for you, no matter what happens. If they force you to leave, then I'll leave too! Dean and Seth will eventually forgive me, but we've been through too much for me to give up what you and I have. I love you so much, Aneesa. You've taught me to love again and I want to be with you until the end of time. We'll figure something out, okay? Don't worry." I reassured her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

"I'm tired. I think I'm just going to go to bed now, okay?" she told me, getting up off the floor.

"I'll be there in a minute, hon. You just get some sleep." I said, getting up off the floor as well.

I dumped the rest of the water from the cup into the sink before throwing it away while Aneesa left the bathroom. As I turned on the faucet to brush my teeth, I heard her thank Seth for the food and told Dean he could have the rest if he wanted before she went to our bedroom. When I was finished, I exited the bathroom and was quietly greeted by my teammates, who had identical looks of concern on their faces.

"Hey, man. Is she okay?" Seth asked as he threw away the food containers.

"She will be. She's just stressed out, that's all. I'm going to bed too. 'Night! And don't stay up too late!" I told them, heading to mine and Aneesa's bedroom.

As I quietly entered the room, I could see Aneesa sleeping peacefully underneath the covers. I smirked as I stripped down to my boxers and slipped into bed, throwing my arms around her.

"It will be alright, Aneesa. You'll see. Goodnight, beautiful." I whispered before nodding off to sleep.

 **THE NEXT DAY**

After waking up and eating breakfast, we packed our things and headed to the arena. I drove while Aneesa was in the passenger seat. Dean and Seth were sitting in the backseat. The three of them sat there in silence, each looking out their own window. I tried to make conversation, but they weren't in the mood. I just gave up and pulled into the arena parking lot.

"You two go ahead. I'm going to stay here with Aneesa for a little bit." I told the guys.

They nodded as they exited the car and waited for me to pop the trunk to retrieve their bags. Meanwhile, Aneesa and I just sat there in the car, not saying a word to each other.

"I'm so scared, Roman. I don't know if I can do this." She finally said after a few moments of silence.

I reached over and grabbed her hands.

"I have faith that you can. And I'm not going to stop saying this, but I'm here for you. I will never ever leave you, even if it means losing my job and my friends." I reassured her, gently squeezing her hands.

"You're so good to me, Roman. But I could never ask you to quit your job. Dean and Seth would never stand for it!" she argued, tears rolling down her face.

"No, they wouldn't. But I've got an idea. I'm not saying that it would work or that they would go for it, but it's worth a try!" I told her, wiping away her tears.

"What is it?" she asked with curiosity.

I quickly whispered the plan to her and waited to see her reaction.

"I suppose it might work, but it will take some convincing on both sides. For now, let's just keep this between us." She said, referring to the vampire council.

I nodded before capturing her lips with a sensual kiss.

"We should probably grab our stuff and head inside. We don't wanna be late for the meeting!" I said, getting out of the car.

Aneesa hesitated before getting out. I grabbed her bag, along with mine and we headed into the arena. Once inside, we met up with Seth and Dean, leaving our bags in the locker room before heading towards the ring area.

Vince, Stephanie and Triple H were already standing in the ring while everyone was sitting in folding chairs at the end of the ramp. All around us, I could hear people chatting amongst themselves, speculating as to why the CEO had called the meeting. Aneesa started to fidget around in her seat, but I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Once everyone had taken their seats, the meeting began.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I've asked you to be here. Something has been brought to my attention, concerning one of you. It turns out that one of my Superstars and/or Divas has been hiding their true identity. As it so happens, there is a vampire amongst us." Vince announced.

There was a slight pause before a wave of subdued laughter surged through the group.

"Vince, have you been watching 'Twilight' again?" John Cena called out.

"Very funny, Cena. I know this sounds farfetched, but it is the truth!" Vince protested amongst gales of laughter.

I chuckled, but quickly stopped after looking over at Aneesa, whose eyes had started to turn blood red. I knew I had to stop her before the situation escalated quickly.

"Mr. McMahon, you've played some pretty awesome jokes on people, but this one takes the cake, sir!" Brad Maddox spoke up.

"He's not joking...he speaks the truth!" Aneesa said quietly, not realizing that she had captured people's attention.

"Aneesa, chill out, girl. It was just a joke!" Cameron tried to calm her down.

"Well, do you see me laughing? No! This is the kind of thing I was worried about...people cracking jokes about someone being different. I guess the whole 'B A STAR' campaign just flew right out the window. Talk about practicing what you preach! I had reservations about revealing my true identity to the world and this is why!" she shouted, standing up.

The entire room went silent as Aneesa continued her rant.

"Darren, I don't mean to single you out, sweetie, but think back to when you came out of the closet. You were afraid of what people were going to say or think, right?" she asked Darren Young, who nodded.

"But they supported you, commended you for publicly stating that you are gay. Here I am, publicly stating that I am a supernatural being actively working for the WWE. So, why do I end up getting stupid 'Twilight' jokes thrown at me? I was human once...I had feelings and I still do have feelings! So why am I being treated differently?! I honestly thought that I had found something that I had gone without for a god awful long time, but I guess I was mistaken." She said, walking up the ramp in tears.

Everyone was too taken aback by her comments, so I stood up and said my piece.

"Before she told Mr. McMahon, Stephanie and Triple H, she confided in me. She told me who she really was and why she was here. She came here looking for love, success and, more importantly, a family. A family who would see past her faults and accept her for _who_ she is, not _what_ she is. I would have expected this kind of crap from a bunch of high schoolers, but not people who I respect and admire. So, she's a vampire...big deal! I love her and I'm willing to do anything for her, even if it means the end of my WWE career." I stated, walking up the ramp.

To my surprise, Seth and Dean got up, following me up the ramp as the room gasped collectively.

"I have to admit that I am ashamed of how you guys have behaved here today. This is not the kind of behavior I would expect from you. Therefore, you have a choice: either you formally apologize to Aneesa or you will be fined $10,000. Anyone who refuses to do so will be fired. You're dismissed." Vince ordered the roster.

I came backstage to find Aneesa talking rapidly in Romanian on her cellphone. When she saw me, she bid the caller farewell before hanging up. She rushed up to me and I gave her a gigantic hug.

"I gave everyone out there a piece of my mind and walked out. Seth and Dean walked out as well." I told her.

"Thank you so much, Roman. I've got some good news. I just spoke to the head councilman and convinced him to do it. He gave me the name of a local coven who can provide the ritual location." She informed me.

"Now it's up to Seth and Dean." I said as we both looked at the other two Shield members.


	12. Time To Transform

**ROMAN**

We sat outside the chamber doors, nervously waiting for the High Council to call us inside. Aneesa, Seth and I were seated on a marble bench while Dean paced around, biting his nail beds (one of his more annoying habits that he acted on whenever he was nervous). You could hear a pin drop from the staggering amount of silence that hung in the air, save for the occasional squeak of Dean's shoes. Every so often, Seth and I would catch Aneesa looking at us and we would give her a weak smile in return. She knew how nervous and scared we were, so it didn't surprise me one bit when she grabbed both mine and Seth's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

"So, uh, *ahem*, how does this ritual thingy work?" Dean finally asked, breaking the silence as he stopped and looked at Aneesa.

Both Seth and I looked at Aneesa, awaiting her response.

"It's hard to say. The ritual they do nowadays is much different than the one they did 2,000 years ago." She replied.

"What was it like when you were transformed?" Seth inquired, gently squeezing her hand.

"To put it bluntly, bloody and painful." She answered with a shudder.

"Geez! I'm kind of sorry I asked. My apologies, 'Neesa." He told her.

"It's okay, Sethie. You were just curious. It's only natural." She reassured him.

I fought the nauseous feelings from hearing her response. Just then, the doors opened and a woman in a long blood red robe came out to greet us.

"We're ready for you now. Follow me please." She instructed us.

Aneesa stood up, followed by myself and Seth. Dean fell in line behind us and the four of us followed the woman into the main chamber. There were several benches on either side of the room, on which the coven members were seated, their eyes transfixed on us as we passed by. Standing at the front of the chamber were the other High Council members. There was a large table off to the side, containing a golden chalice and a lancing device. I felt someone nudge me in the ribs and I looked over to see Aneesa signaling that the ritual was about to begin. I nodded and we watched as she stepped forward to address the coven.

"High Council members; Head Priestess; brothers and sisters of the vampire community, my name is Aneesa Dragomir and I have come before you today to induct three new members into our society. May I introduce Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns." She pointed to us as she introduced us to the coven.

"We welcome you, Aneesa Dragomir, and graciously accept our new inductees. Bring forth the chalice and the lancing device." The Head Priestess commanded.

One of the High Council members stepped over to the table and grabbed the items before handing the chalice to the Head Priestess and took his place next to her. The Head Priestess called us forward and we lined up in front of her.

"Aneesa Dragomir, do you promise to fulfill your duties and accept your role of Creator? If so, answer 'I will' and seal your promise with your blood sacrifice." She instructed Aneesa.

"I will." Aneesa answered before pricking her finger and letting the blood fall into the chalice.

"Dean Ambrose, do you promise to obey the Vampire Code and accept your role of Creation? If so, answer 'I will' and seal your promise with your blood sacrifice." The Head Priestess instructed Dean.

He hesitated before responding and pricking his finger, allowing the blood to land in the liquid. Seth then pledged himself, repeating Dean and Aneesa's actions. Finally, it was my turn to participate in the ritual. After swearing my loyalty and adding my blood, the Head Priestess dismissed the High Council member before swirling the liquid around in the chalice, allowing the blood to mix with the wine.

"You have pledged your bodies and souls to the vampire lifestyle. Now drink from the chalice of life to complete your transformation." She told us, handing Dean the chalice.

He gulped before taking a drink and passing it to Seth. He too drank from the chalice and handed it to me. I took a deep breath before consuming the remaining liquid. I heard a painful groan escape from Dean's lips. A few seconds later, a similar groan came from Seth. I looked over to see them hunched over and writhing in agony. It wasn't long before I too began groaning in pain and writhing.

"It will be over soon. Your transformation is nearly complete." Aneesa whispered in my ear as she dropped down beside me.

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain dissipated and we plucked ourselves off the ground. Dean and Seth immediately bared their newly acquired fangs, allowing them to glisten in the chamber's light. We stared at each other in disbelief before chuckling.

"Roman, are you okay?" Aneesa asked me.

I turned to her and planted a tender kiss on her lips before baring my own fangs.

"I've never felt better!" I told her with a smile.


	13. In Good Company

**ANEESA**

I walked towards the arena hand in hand with Roman while Dean and Seth followed us. The sound of screaming fans greeted our ears as we greeted them. After signing autographs and taking pictures, we headed inside to find out who our opponents would be that night. I was scheduled to face Paige while The Shield would be taking on Evolution. We put our bags in the locker room before heading down to catering.

"Hey, 'Neesa!" A British female voice called out behind me.

I turned to see Paige running up to greet us.

"Hey Paige! What are you up to?" I asked her, giving her a hug.

"I just came over to ask how you guys are adjusting to the transformation." She said nonchalantly.

An incredulous look passed over the guys' faces while us girls giggled.

"Don't worry, guys. I know all about you being vampires. You're not as alone as you think." She said, showing off her fangs.

"Wait...there are _others_ on the roster?" Dean asked, curiously.

"After Aneesa came out about being a vampire, there were a dozen other people that also revealed themselves. You'd be surprised at how many vampires are on the roster. There are several in NXT as well. If you guys have any questions or concerns, I can certainly pass them along to the guys." She offered.

"We appreciate that, Paige." Seth said, giving her a smile.

"No problem, guys! Wanna meet me in the Divas locker room after you're done eating to go over our match?" She asked me.

"Yeah, sure! See you later, doll!" I said, ushering the guys into the catering hall.

 **ROMAN**

We waited in line to get our food before settling down at a secluded table.

"This definitely beats what we had last night." Dean said, shoveling a handful of chicken alfredo into his mouth.

"Be grateful it only happens once a month." Aneesa chuckled, nibbling on a strawberry.

"Hey lads! What's the craic?" Sheamus said, sitting down next to Seth.

"Not much, Shea. Who you facin' tonight?" I asked him.

"Cesaro and his damn mout'piece. Ah need to give that man a Brogue Kick and knock some of his teeth down his t'roat." He chuckled.

"Please do. I feel like I need to take a shot every time he references Brock Lesnar beating the streak at WrestleMania. We get it, okay? Stop rubbing it in already!" Aneesa groaned.

"Better make it a pint then, lass. Damn good t'ing we vamps can't get drunk, eh?" he laughed.

"You too, huh?" I asked him.

"Yeah, me, Wade and Drew are members of the United Kingdom coven, as is Paige. Told yeh, did she?" he inquired.

"She just said there were others on the main roster and NXT. Didn't name names, but she said that if we have any questions or concerns, she'd be more than happy to pass them along." Dean told him.

"She's roight. Well, Ah'll catch up wit' yeh later." Sheamus said, getting up from his seat.

We bid him farewell and continued eating. As I finished my food, I looked around the table and smiled to myself, grateful that we would be in good company. The best part, however, was knowing that Aneesa would be there every step of the way to guide us, along with the others. Finally, we got what we both wanted.


End file.
